'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 121: 'All Out War! The Ultimate Quadruple Merge vs. Universe 7's Full Scale Attack!!'

The last episode ended with Dr. Paparoni revealing that he still had one ace up his sleeve when it looked like he was backed into a corner.  Said ace involves him fusing with the fused robot to become an even more powerful warrior named Aniraza.

I could have sworn that the saiyans had eliminated the fused robot last episode.  Maybe I remembered it wrong, but it really seemed like that was the case.  As such, I was a bit confused as to who Paparoni fused with.  Really, they could have just revealed that he was a robot with his own transformation and accomplished the same goal, but whatever.

In any event, Aniraza proves to be one tough cookie.  He's big; he's fast; and he can overpower universe 7's remaining roster with relative ease.  Even simultaneous coordinated attacks fail, as Aniraza can use echolocation to track all of the fighters and respond to them before they can do anything.  I was surprised that they didn't make any attempt to exploit this.  17 even says that Aniraza's big antennae are what allow him to do this, but they don't try to blast at them at any point.  Heck, creating other explosions to mask their efforts could have also worked, but again, it's never done.  Considering how the crew spend most of the episode on the defensive, I suppose you could argue that it never occurred to them or they never had the chance to try.

Much like how Jiren's power was able to outmuscle time itself, Aniraza has the ability to warp space.  This allows him to sucker punch the fighters even if they are far away.  There's a Spider-Man villain with that ability.  I can't remember his name, but he did appear on the 90's animated series.  I don't know if it's coincidence or an intentional nod, but the similarity is definitely there.

It leads to some close calls as Goku himself almost gets knocked out of the ring.  Even Goku notes that, were it not for Frieza's interference, he would have. 

Considering that Frieza's made a point to spend a lot of the recent episodes on the sidelines, you'd think he'd make a quick retreat, but he isn't given that option.  It was rather nice to see him finally jump into the fray.  It's not quite the table turner that you'd think it is, but it still made for great entertainment.

On Aniraza's part, he realizes that the fighters will keep each other from falling out of the ring.  As such, he grabs 18 and tries to...eat her? 

No mention is made of the "no kill" rule at all during this point.  I get that they're playing into "monster" thing, but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  Couldn't he just warp his arm and put her out of the ring that way? 

It was still a tense moment and you really felt for Krillin who had to sit there powerless to do anything as the woman that he loved was put into mortal danger. 

My first thought as I saw her falling was that she could fly, but that isn't allowed.  She could have tried to blast him in the face and propel herself that way, but she just sits there.  Chalk it up to panic, I guess.  Don't worry, Goku has her back, and he teleports her out of the way.

Alas, the gesture doesn't get the team very far as it isn't long before 18 "sacrifices" herself so that 17 can stay in the ring and continue the fight. 

Her sacrifice isn't in vein, as the remaining fighters do rally and manage to defeat the monstrosity once and for all.  The elimination of the other robots is made explicitly clear here, as we do see the individual robots appear in the stands when all is said and done. 

"Ultimate Battle" makes a third appearance here.  It looks like that track is going to be for the remainder of this arc what "Desperate Assault" was for the Future Trunks arc.  That's hardly a bad thing, as the song has been put to good use so far and it does make the big finale that much more exciting.  I do hope that it doesn't wear out its welcome, though. 

With this, universe 3 is erased.  It felt a tad perfunctory, though.  There was no sense of horror or sadness.  The kai just went "yep, that happened, oh well".  Even that bit with the little gremlin popping out to say bye didn't really carry any weight as it comes out of nowhere and has no context whatsoever.  If this was an established trait, I don't remember it, but the dialogue makes it sound like it was supposed to be a big deal. 

At long last, the 3 remaining pride troopers step forward to challenge the fighters of universe 7.  Jiren is convinced that victory is theirs, but Goku isn't so certain.  There's still nine minutes left, so a lot can happen.  True, universe 7 still has the numbers advantage, but Jiren's presence makes it likely that said advantage won't be long lasting.

Overall, this episode was pretty straight forward.  It was cool to see the entire team face off against one giant monstrosity.  Said monstrosity reminded me of Hatchyack from that one OVA, but that could just be me.  There were a couple of head scratchers here and there, but it was still fast paced and exciting.

It looks like the arc is nearing its conclusion, one does wonder if the show will throw some twist in to spice things up.  I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out.  It'll be a two week wait this time, but so far, patience has paid off. 

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 120: 'The Perfect Survival Tactic! Universe 3's Menacing Assassins!!'

While the number of remaining fighters dwindles to a handful, that doesn't necessarily mean that things are winding down.  On the contrary, as both Whis and the Grand Priest note, the remaining fighters are the best of the best, thus the fights are going to be tougher than ever.

As universe 7 still has the most fighters remaining, they are the prime target for the robotic fighters of universe 3.  There was quite a bit of build up about how these robots were custom designed to win the tournament.  We hadn't really seen that on display, but this episode gives us proof that it wasn't just hollow boasting.

In an all out brawl with most of the universe 7 fighters (Frieza pretty much sits this one out), they are able to hold their own for the most part.  It was exciting to see the episode jump from fight to fight.  The chaos was something that's been missing, but it was handled well here when the showdown first starts.

Inevitably, it boils down to the two androids vs  a fighter named Viara and Gohan facing off against the other three robots.

There is an in-universe justification for this, as Gohan wants Goku and Vegeta to save their strength and energy for later on in the tournament.  It was good to see that there was actual strategy and it wasn't just saiyan pride that motivated the decision.  Though, even if it were the case, it was worth it just to see the proud smirk on Goku's face as Gohan makes the declaration.  It was a very "that's my boy" moment.

Even being outnumbered, Gohan is able to fend off the attacks of his opponents with no visible sign of trouble. 

With the fighters being robots and this being an anime, it should come as no surprise to find out that the robots are capable of fusing into one super-fighting robot.  The "fusion" amplifies power, speed, and defenses; it makes for a rather formidable opponent.

While Gohan has certainly had worse showings in previous fights, it does take the intervention of Goku and Vegeta to really turn the tables.  You'd think that this would be an insult to a warrior's honor or something, but nobody (not even Vegeta) makes a big deal about it.  Goku even goes so far as to commend Gohan for doing so well and says that he wasn't going to just sit by and let his son get hit.  It was another rather nice small moment between father and son that stood out amid all the fast paced combat.

I did rather enjoy seeing all three saiyans fighting side by side.  This isn't usually a thing that they do and it made for a rather awesome moment.  The effective teamwork between the three is what ultimately allows them to over power the opponent and knock it out of the ring.

As to the fight between the androids and Viara.  It isn't much to write home about, the twins win with minimal effort.  It was rather cool to see the 2 on 1 fight, but ultimately they just blasted it until it's shell broke.  Considering that Viara's plan was to tire the two out, you knew that the victory was theirs.  It made for a nice highlight for the androids, but it wasn't quite the nail biter that one might have hoped for. 

Even with all of these fighters knocked out, universe 3 is still in.  The mad scientist, Dr....Paparoni, jeebus, is still in the ring.  The three saiyans dismiss him and apologetically announce that they're going to have to knock him out of the ring now.  However, it seems the good doctor has one more trick up his sleeve.  The episode ends before we can see what, but he's convinced that it will be enough to turn the tables. 

Overall, the episode was OK.  It was fun enough as you were watching it, but I don't know if it will stand out in the long run.  There were great moments peppered throughout, but it does seem like universe 7's win is a foregone conclusion.  While the universe 3 fighters fared decently, there was never a point where it felt like it was going to be an uphill battle.  It was never boring, though, The fights were well choreographed and everything was framed and "shot" very well.  Even if it wasn't a highlight moment for the series, it was 20 minutes well spent.

I am looking forward to next week's episode.  The preview looked promising, as everyone from universe 7 rallies to try to take out universe 3's last fighter.  It should make for an interesting showdown.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 119: 'Unavoidable!? The Fierce Stealth Attack!!'

This episode picks up right where the last one left off, with Vegeta about to face off against Katopesla.  The saiyan prince hopes to use the fighter as a punching bag to vent his frustration, but it might not be that simple.

Katopesla changes into his "ultimate" mode, which amplifies both his speed and his strength.  While he never gains the upper hand against Vegeta, he does hold his own far better than his previous appearances would suggest.  The prince eventually goes super saiyan and almost knocks Katopesla out of the ring.

Oh, Katopesla gets eliminated (though at least he gets to go out with some sense of dignity,) but it isn't by Vegeta's hand.  It's made clear that something else hit him and stole the elimination stat from Vegeta.  Said thing doesn't hesitate to go after Vegeta as well, though he is able to catch himself.

Once again, the fighters of universe 7 find themselves facing off against an unseen enemy. Unlike the sniper, this is a melee fighter who just happens to be invisible.  They make a point to say that the fighter is masking their energy, but I seem to recall it being established that they were unable to sense the energy from fighters from other universes.  I guess they learned, as the energy sensing thing comes into play later, but we'll get to that.

This foe proves especially problematic as it is able to get the upper hand against even universe 7's strongest fighters.  Even android 18 can barely hold her own.  You'd think Gero would have given them an infrared vision option to pick up heat signatures, but apparently not. 

She probably would have been knocked out had Piccolo not leaped in and unleashed a simultaneous ki blast in every direction.  It works, but it's the sort of thing that would only work once due to energy limitations.  You'd think that this wouldn't be a problem for the two androids but it never comes up, as Gohan has another strategy to draw out their unseen attacker.  He blasts the ground to create dust clouds which allow them to see their target.  Without his invisibility, the fighter (who's name is revealed to be Gamisaras) is pretty much defenseless and is easily dispatched by Piccolo.

If it seems like it was a bit too easy, you're not wrong.  Despite this being hyped up, it's done before the mid-episode card.  Universe 4 still has other tricks up its sleeve, however.

It isn't long before the next fighter enters the fray and traps universe 7 in a strange dome filled with phantoms of the fighters from eliminated universes.  Not surprisingly, the constructs are able to hit the heroes, but the heroes punches pass right through. 

It's a cool concept and the episode could have probably done more with it, but Piccolo manages to figure things out pretty quickly and eliminates the fighter (Shantza) once he discerns the opponent's location. 

This leaves universe 4 with but one fighter.  At first, it seems like another invisible adversary, but it's soon made clear that there's more to this than meets the eye.  Even with the ability to sense their foe's energy, nobody can seem to get a clear hit. 

Said foe is even able to eliminate Piccolo by knocking him out of the ring.  Universe 7 is still doing pretty well, all things considered, but that's still a pretty heavy hit.  Piccolo was proving himself to be a major asset to the team, even though he may not have the raw power of the three saiyans.

While it is android 17 who figures out what this fighter's deal is (it's a bug named Damon) it is Goku who figures out how to turn the tables on it. 

With Damon eliminated, that leaves universe 4 with nobody left in the ring.  Quitela vows to take everybody with him, but his threat proves hollow as his universe is erased before he can act. 

This leaves just universes 3, 7, and 11.  Oddly enough, 3 and 11 sit this one out.  We see the three Pride Troopers during the Gamisaras portion, but they don't do anything.  I guess the plan is to just sit back and let the rest of the universes fight it out.  Considering the next episode has the remaining fighters from universe 3 going up against universe 7, it seems likely.  It's not a bad strategy, but it is weird how we still have fighters who are able to sit back and relax while their existence hangs in the balance. 

In any event, this episode was very enjoyable.  It got multiple characters involved, gave them all chances to shine, and provided adversaries that were able to adequately challenge them.  The methods to defeat them were, admittedly, pretty simple, but I think that's why we had them all go in one episode.  To devote an entire episode to each of them would have been a bit much.  This keeps things moving and gets us closer to the final showdown between universes 7 and 11.  The prior has the numbers advantage, but the latter has Jiren, so it could still prove to be an uphill battle. 

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'The Punisher' Episode 2: 'Two Dead Men'

After reviewing a movie starring Thomas Jane, it's only fitting that we return to "The Punisher".  Oddly enough, this episode has no real connections to the one that preceded it.  You could argue that it is in keeping with the comic format, but one would still expect some mention of the workers' deaths.

On the plus side, it does a better job of setting up the show's general plot, as Frank learns that there was more to the death of his family than he originally thought.  Considering the last episode seemed to close the book on that, it's odd to reopen it so quickly.  It would have been interesting to see Frank's arc move beyond that motivation or, at the very least, they should have held off on that reveal until later on.  It's still early in the show, though, so we'll just have to see where it goes.

I'm not sure about the conspiracy angle.  It seems like the circumstances for Frank's origin are becoming needlessly convoluted.  We already had one cover-up to mask the botched sting operation.  I don't know why we're throwing another one into the mix.  Maybe later reveals will make this all gel better, but right now, it seems out of place.

Still, the pros far outweigh the cons, as the episode continues to build up the show's momentum.  We still have plenty of great character moments, Frank and Karen's reunion being a major one.  We also have solid action as Frank faces off against Madina's boss, Carson Wolf.

You wouldn't think this would be much of a fight, but you gotta hand it to the man, he held his own.  It wasn't quite as even as Frank's bouts with Daredevil, but Wolf still got plenty of good hits in.

Frank's main conflict, however, is with a hacker by the name of "Micro".  The latter manages to discover that Frank is still alive and informs him of this.  It's still not clear why he does this, but for now we get to see a bit of a cat and mouse game between the two.

In fact, this is what pushes Frank to contact Karen, as she has resources that allow him to find out who "Micro" is.  I do think it was a bit too easy on that end.  Karen does a little off screen digging and is able to hand Frank a name.  The episode does make up for it by allowing the bond established in "Daredevil" to shine.  In any event, Karen is a great character, and Woll has consistently done a great job in her portrayal, so her presence is a benefit regardless.

On a similar note, Bernthal is still fantastic.  The show is allowing him to show Frank's many layers and Bernthal is able to nail all of them.  Whether it's a scene showing Frank's softer side, his more haunted and aloof side, or the straight up ass kicker; he pulls it off and even has little trouble transitioning from one to the other within the same scene.

I was unsure about Micro.  He worked well here, but I wasn't sure he had enough to act as the show's primary villain.  Considering how the episode ends, it doesn't seem like this is going to be the case, though, so we'll see where his story arc takes us.  For that matter, we'll have to see who ends up being the main antagonist.

Overall, this was a solid follow up.  It sets the stage for the show's arc, while also being a fairly stand alone episode at least in so far as Frank has caught the antagonist who had been hounding him for the entirety of the episode.  I have a feeling that the next episode will have some major revelations as Micro and Frank have their first face to face chat.  It should make for an interesting watch.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 118: 'Accelerated Tragedy Vanishing Universes...'

Where most episodes in this arc have focused on one particular fight, this episode changes things up a bit by splitting its focus between Goku's fight with the remaining fighters from universe 2, as well as Gohan and Piccolo's continued fight with the two Namekians from universe 6.

Despite being exhausted, Goku still manages to hold his own against the three fighters.  Nevertheless, the twin androids come to his aid.  Surprisingly, Goku has no qualms about taking the assistance. 

Universe 2 isn't without its own reserves, however.  We see that universe 2 has been broadcasting the tournament to their universe.  Because of this, they are able to provide emotional support even across the barrier into the void.  Considering this is a universe focused on the power of love, it really does turn out to be a game changer.  Really, it isn't all that different from the times that Goku has called on people to give their energy for his spirit bomb.

Said power is enough for the three fighters to trigger their own transformations.  Well, I say "their own", but really it's the same thing that the female warriors did.  It would have been nice if they had their own, but instead we see them don similar garb to what Ribrianne, Rozie, and Kakunsa had.  It also gives them similar power sets.  It's formidable, but it's something the three fighters from universe 7 are familiar with, so it doesn't prove to be as much of a challenge as one might think. 

They do manage to pin down Goku and the others quite literally with a giant black hole of love.  Its power is such that even Goku's instant transmission can't get him out.  Even worse, the weight of the thing is pressing the three down and eventually they'll get pushed out of bounds.

True to form, Goku powers up and manages to break through the thing by going blue and hitting it with a kamehameha.  It seems like an arse pull, but he is channeling god power.  If his punches have the power to break the universe, than this doesn't seem that far-fetched.  On top of that, it reminds us how powerful the blue form really is.  Sometimes we need that sort of thing just to keep everything in perspective.

Just as the universe 2 fighters benefited from an eleventh hour power up, a new development reveals that the two Namekians from universe 6 are more than they appear.  Piccolo senses several presences and the two announce that they had fused with several Namekians who volunteered to do so in order to help ensure their universe's survival.  I have to hand it to them, that was really dang smart on their end.  It also makes for a great twist that had the potential to turn the tide in this particular fight.

The two do give Gohan and Piccolo a decent fight, but considering how many Namekian spirits were shown, you'd think that the two universe 7 fighters would have really been put against the ropes.  That never really materializes.

Instead, Gohan (in his ultimate mystic form) volunteers to keep the two busy while Piccolo charges up a special beam cannon to knock them out.  Interestingly, the number of Namekian spirits not only allows Piccolo to go all out without worry about killing, but it also explains why Piccolo would need time to charge up the attack.  To wit, his first attempt wounds, but doesn't eliminate his target when he tries to fire before he has a sufficient charge. 

On the plus side, this allows Gohan to leap in and come to Piccolo's rescue when it looks like the Namekian is about to be taken out by a beam attack.  After seeing Gohan needing to be rescued so many times, it was nice to see him return the favor. 

Ultimately, universe 7 emerges victorious in both battles.  They have quite a bit of momentum in their favor, but the grand priest notes that they're also the most fatigued due to the nature of their battles.  The clock is ticking and there might be a change in the tides as the tournament moves closer to its end. 

With the two victories comes the elimination of both universes.  Like universe 10, this instance is played more somber.  Unlike that one, however, this sequence doesn't recycle elements from universe 9's erasure and, as such, feels more distinct. 

Universe 2 went out with class.  You have to give them credit for that.  The residents thanked the fighters for the valiant effort and Brianne thanked them for the support and the love.  Considering how the last episode called the universe's knowledge of love into question, it was nice to see the scene play out as genuinely as it did. 

Universe 6 also bows out fairly gracefully.  Cabba wishes Vegeta luck and Beerus and Champa have a somewhat bittersweet brotherly moment.  You can tell that this elimination hit them pretty hard.  Beerus lost a brother and Vegeta says that seeing he's in a bad mood, presumably due to the loss of Cabba. 

This was a very strong episode.  The animation was solid, the fights were exciting, and it managed to be poignant while also giving us just enough comic relief to keep things entertaining.  There were also a lot of great character moments.  I don't know if the next episode will follow up on them, but one can hope.  The fight is sure to be exciting, but stuff like that has been what really gave this arc some extra flavor. 

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